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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bark — to shout
  3. net — for catching
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — in sport
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cold — an illness
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. ground — the earth
  22. net — after costs
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com